Heavy equipment sits idle at RichEllen Park. The park off scenic state Highway 149 is more than 75 percent complete, with retaining walls three-fourths built.

Written by

Chris Smith
Leaf-Chronicle

RichEllen Park won an additional half-million dollars Monday night from the Montgomery County Commission, after bids on the park came in much higher than county officials anticipated.

The county went with a second round of construction project bidding after the first round generated prices out of range for the total - an estimated $9.8 million - initially approved for the multipurpose park off state Highway 149.

A series of cost-cutting moves eliminated a mezzanine level and central tower in the park's main pavilion, along with a costly drainage system, but it left key park features in ...